Injury news is always to be taken with a grain of salt because, as we know, hockey players tend to be freaks of nature when it comes to recovery. Plus, not every team is great about knowing exactly how long a player will be out. That sentiment rings especially true for the Carolina Hurricanes, whose fans got a bit of a surprise ahead of Saturday's contest against the New York Islanders.
Well, well, well, look who it is… 👀
— Walt Ruff (@WaltRuff) April 4, 2026
Declared “probably out for the year” in December and having underwent hip surgery, goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov has joined his teammates on the ice at the end of today’s morning skate. pic.twitter.com/PGMi8k0D8d
With the team on the ice preparing for their divisional battle tonight against New York, photos and videos started to circulate of netminder Pyotr Kochetkov on the ice in full pads. It was initially thought that Kochetkov would be done for the season, leaving Brandon Bussi and Frederik Andersen to sort things out in the crease. As of Saturday, that might not necessarily be the case anymore.
Kochetkov missed the start of the season with an injury and was limited to only nine appearances from mid-November to late December, going 6-2-0 with a shutout and a 2.33 GAA. Ahead of their game on December 29 against the Rangers, the team announced that Kochetkov would get surgery on his hip, with Rod Brind'Amour saying that he was "probably out for the year."
It turns out that "probably" carried a lot of weight in that sentence. Before we get too excited about the prospects of a Kochetkov return, the timetable to get him back into a game remains unclear. The head coach said as much after the skate but called it "a step in the right direction" as his inevitable return could be sooner than we realized.
During his time with the media after the skate, Kochetkov brought his patented humor. He poked fun at allowing goals to Andrei Svechnikov at practice being a sign that maybe he isn't quite ready to get back out there. Kochetkov also felt sorry for his girlfriend having to put up with him at home while he was on the shelf.
While we may be reading too much into Kochetkov being out there, it's a great sign that he's back with the group. If he's feeling up to it, it might be worth getting him out there during the team's season-ending four-game road trip. That way, should the moment call for it, Kochetkov can get a little more game action before the playoffs. Regardless, seeing him back on the ice is a great first step.